Varek Azzur
| sampleimage = | skill = unknown | stamina = unknown | luck = unknown | weaponused = oriental sabres and daggers | homeland = Port Blacksand | associates = His City Guard | race = Human | sex = Male | alignment = Evil | equipment = unknown }} Lord Varek Azzur is the infamous ruler of Port Blacksand in Allansia. - p.??; - ???; - ???; - p.??/?? Early Life Varek was born into the noble House of Azzur in Arion, north-east Khul. Neither the day nor year of his birth (reckoned by some to be ) are certain. His birthday is officially celebrated in Port Blacksand on the 4 of Winds, though acolytes of the cult of Kukulak are required to celebrate a new birthday from the day when they are initiated into the cult (which would presumably then have been the 4 day of Birds Chatter). - pp. 91, 97 Acolyte of Kukulak His fall from grace came at the age of sixteen when he was converted by devotees of Kukulak, the Khulian god of Storms, whose cult in Arion worshipped the god in a most unwholesome manner. Clad in thick black clothes, the devotees of the god burnt brands into their faces and bodies as part of their initiation. If scars formed themselves into Kukulak's runes then the acolyte would be accepted, if not then death would follow. Azzur was forced into becoming an acolyte but as a result of the scarring ran away for fear of his parent's reaction. They were never to see him again. Life of Piracy Begins He fled Arion for Corda but the merchant ship he was on was raided by pirates operating from the Rockwall Islands. He was effectively kidnapped by the pirates and converted into one of them quickly rising to become second in command. He moved on to operate out of the Arrowhead Islands as a pirate warrior. The first time he was known as a pirate Captain was when his pirate galley, the Face of Chaos raided the port of Merluk in the extreme south-east of Allansia. This was nine years after his disappearance from Arion. Six years of raiding the southern coastline of Allansia raised his reputation further. Port Blacksand It was in the fourth of those years that Azzur's boldest move was made when he stormed Port Blacksand in deposing Illios Valentis hanging the Baron from the highest tower of his palace. That palace was torn down and in Lord Azzur's new palace was finished. Azzur quickly formed an elite City Guard. In Azzur instituted the bizarre New Year event of executing several of the most prominent citizens and distributing their riches to the poor. The scars that Varek Azzur has as a result of his induction to the cult of Kukulak have bound him to that god, yet he does not display them proudly. Rather he hides them under a veil and few have ever seen them. It is said that those that have and tell the tale have little time left on this mortal coil. Lord Azzur only occasionally ventures from his palace, but when he does so it is inside his ornate coach and he will always be swathed in his black robes. Azzur is served by a select band of trusted people, who have been taken from their homes at a young age never to return. They are trained to be loyal to Azzur above all else and may never leave the palace. Only the most trusted servants, for example the coachman and the head of the kitchens are allowed contact with the outside world. Azzur himself rarely speaks to an outsider directly except when speaking in anger. His servants include the Mouth, the Eyes, and the Ears, all of whom participated in the torture of Fazilus Astra, a powerful wizard. - 64, 154 Lord Azzur Today Azzur still likes to sail the Face of Chaos out of harbour on raids up and down the "Pirate Coast". He remains calm and assured, intellectual and mystical, and is a clever tactician and inspirational leader. He is rarely seen in public, save at the gladiatorial arena. Knowledge of Azzur Azzur is a mysterious figure even in Blacksand, where he is only occasionally seen, covered entirely in black robes. Only two people are said to have seen his face; his personal holy-man who he consults once a month, and, according to popular legend, Drogo Widemouth, who snuck into the palace through Blacksand's extensive sewer system, and entered his bedchamber at night; his dismembered body parts were later discovered as a warning to others. - p. 91 While the House of Azzur is well known in the city of Arion, it was the famous historian, scholar, and traveller, Zelakar of Chalannabrad who brought knowledge of Varek Azzur's background to the rest of the world. - p. 91 It is revealed in The Port of Peril that Lord Varek Azzur swore fealty to the Night Prince Zanbar Bone, being described as his "most faithful servant" by the failed treasure hunter Gurnard Jaggle. - 108 He conspires with the Spirit Stalkers to force the stonemason Horace Wolff to carve a cursed keystone that could revive their lord, by holding his wife Luannah Wolff hostage in his palace jail. - 367, 322 He also sent the Chaos Warrior named Klash to steal the magical Ring of Burning Snakes and capture Zanbar Bone's hated rival, the Legendary Mage Arakor Nicodemus to be jailed and executed. - 108, 118, 322 In, The Gates of Death, it is revealed that Azzur has plans for Allansia as a whole, which the demon plague spreading throughout Allansia was inhibiting. His solution was to send a Guardian of the Crucible to the Invisible City to find a cure rather than his own servants. - 154 He was willing to lend his khopesh, an anti-demon sword, to the Guardian, since the weapon could pass the rival sorcerer's power back to Azzur. - 249 In Assassins of Allansia, Lord Azzur is the primary antagonist by proxy, putting a bounty on an adventurer's head for killing his liege, the Night Prince Zanbar Bone. Azzur appears in person in Fang where he directly confronts the adventurer. If the adventurer survives all of Azzur's assassins, then Azzur would allow his friend, Baron Sukumvit to let the adventurer gain a pardon by entering the Trial of Champions and perhaps survive Deathtrap Dungeon. - 61, 309 to present}} References Category:Humans-Individuals Category:Pirates Category:Major Faces of Titan Category:Major Villains Category:Rulers Category:Port Blacksand Residents